The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-02
SHERMAN.
LECTURE ON THE TWO PARTIES.
Nothing Mes Stated. but the Old Stras Risorousi,
Threshed-Protsctive Tariff and
the Bloody Shirt.

Sherman, on invitation OF the LeSlsla-
ture of Illinois, this afternoon addressed
the members of that body and distin-
guished assemblage of prominent Repub-
lican politicians from all sections, and
questions of the day. He was received
with great cordiality. His text was:
THE principles and tendencies of two
great political parties" Referring to
the existing issues, he said:
THE future opens before US an infin-
ite variety of questions which will turn
ON the extent of national authority.
Revenues must be reduced. This
the Republican party did many
times since the war, and carefully select
ed for repeal or reduction the taxes
on home production, and duties on ar
ticles that did not compete with home
industry. Pro-
tective duty has been placed on sugar
for the benefit of the sugar planters of
Louisiana, but we now propose, as one
means of reducing the surplus revenue,
to largely reduce this tax; and as to the
protection of sugar growers, some pro-
pose to pay, out of the duties on sugar,
a bounty on home production of
all kinds, from cane, or beet, or
sorghum. This policy of pro-
lection has been extended to the
products of the farm and yield of the
mines, as well as fabrics of the mechanic
and of the manufacturer. In this, the
levying of taxes is made the means of
national growth and development,
nearly trebling, in twenty years. our do
mestic manufactures, and, at the same
time, by competition, reducing prices.
THE USUAL PROTECTION MEASUREMENTS.
But by the Confederate construction
of the constitution. all this is unconstitu-
tional. By their theory we may impose
burdens but cannot confer benefits; and
now, fellow citizens, the immediate re-
suit of Democratic or Confederate as
tendency is to be the struggle to
break down our industrial system.
They now propose to reduce
the duty on articles that
can and do now produce, and thus bring
our skilled artisans into competition
with foreign labor, that will inevitably
reduce the price of domestic labor. The
farmer, with wool duty free, must either
kill his sheep or reduce the price of his
wool, aud so with every article of do
mestIc production. But even on this pol
icy, they cannot agree; with the exclus-
i've power over revenue bills they can
agree upon no proposition for a reduc-
ton of taxes, while the surplus revenue
drawn from the life blood of the people
accumulates in the Treasury. But in the
end the Confederate idea will, as usual,
prevail in that party.
PATERNAL GOVERNMENT.
And with all these deeply interesting
and important questions affecting Ameri-
can labor and laborers, the Republican
party, embracing i'm it the great body of
producers of the country, has uniformly,
both by State and National legislation,
adopted every just measure that has
been proposed toimprove their condition.;
to promote employment and to regulate
the hours of labor; to secure good wages
and prompt pay in good money, and
stands ready to adopt every just meas
ure to open their way to comfort,
wealth, and all advanced positions in
public and private life.
The Confederate idea is that Congress
has no power to do any of these things.
1t is unconstitutional. The Democratic
party there has opposed the homestead
law, tariff laws and, in many of the
States, especially where their strength
lies, have opposed wise laws for the pro-
lection of laboring men.
There are some things that the laws
do. They cannot regulate the
price of labor. or anything else. This
can only be done by the law of supply
and demand. American labsrers do not
desire such legislation. They only want
free and ready means of contesting with
capital for a fair division of the results of
production. We have no room in this
country for Anarchists, Communists, or
worst production of des-
potic governments. All our working
men want is an open field and a fair
chance with the right of organization,
and the friendly sympathy
of all classes and conditions of men. The
idea had its example in slav
cry. and now has its natural fruits in
the millions of laborers deprived of their
rights by the con-
trolling of physical force and violence.
No such servitude of labor can exist in a
community. The same con-
tracts were made as to the relations of
the two parties. to the subjects of edu
cation and internal improvements; and
so, fellow citizens, you may run the
gamut of all political questions, great
and small, that divide the two parties
and you will find the line of demarca-
ton in Union and Confederate, Republi-
can and Democrat.
WHAT HE DIsLIKES.
Il am not opposed to Confederate sol
diers, but to Confederate ideas. Many
soldiers We're true to the
Union until drawn by State pride 10
fight for the Confederacy. 1 have no
dislike for Democrats. many of whom
cherish as my dearest friends, but do
dislike the tendency of that party to
ideas. They taunt us with
the bloody shirt: we believe they
wave the Confederate flag. jefferson
Davis says they are now barring their
breasts for the rights they fought for.
The resolutions of the Democrats of Ken
lucky are in effect extracts from the
Constitution, and Confeder-
ates are selected as their candidates.
The Democratic party is the left wing of